True Safety and Absolute Peace: The Assassin
by Lumpeyeone
Summary: Summary under revision.


**AN: Mwahahahaha. The first chapter of The Assassin for my True Safety and Absolute Peace series. Again this is Catalina's story. While she will interact with the characters from the other pieces of the series, this story will follow her. And I'm gonna start it off with her back story. Crossover begins in Chapter one so I did not mislabel this.**

"talking"

"_thinking"_

"**demon/dark talking"**

"**ATTACKS"**

**Scene change (Soundtrack Notifications)**

flashbacks

_**Lyrics**_

**BEGIN**

A five year old Catalina walked beside father, her hand is his hand, as he went about his business. Her raven hair flowing with a small wind and blue eyes taking in the familiar sights. Her father was in charge of the entire villages mail service, making sure every package and letter got to the correct person on time. Now don't let that confuse you, the village itself only held around a hundred people. Not big by most peoples standards but it was Catalina's whole world. She loved the life she led, walking through the smiling village with her father, cleaning the house and other chores with her mother, running through the forest near their home with her younger sister Rose. She waved to the kind old farmer selling his goods. His few missing teeth only adding to his kindly visage.

A scream tore through the streets. Catalina looked to the source to see the innkeeper's daughter crying over her mother's body lying in the middle of the street. Seven men with blank masks stood over the scene, the leader holding a sword with red dripping from the tip. A sword he drew back and swung at the girl, silencing her cries as another masked man joined the group. A series of explosions rang from the other end of the village causing fires to break out. A yell drew Catalina's attention to the town blacksmith who's large muscles did nothing to scare away children. She remembered all the times he gave her candy when she visited with her father. Now that same candy giving man was running towards the masked men with his signature axes in hand and a snarl of his face for the home and family those explosions had just taken from him.

Her father finally snapped from his stupor and dragged Catalina to a nearby alley. "Catalina go to your mother."

"What? But papa!"

"There's no time for argument! You must get your mother and sister and run. Hide in the woods if you have to, just get them out of the village."

"Papa?"

"I will hold them off, just go!" He pushes her down the alley and turns back to the street. Catalina sees the blacksmith lying next to the innkeeper and her daughter before half of the masked men jump to the roofs and head across the city. She didn't know what they were doing or how they could jump like that but she did know her father needed her to do something and she would do it. She takes off down the alley as fast as her legs can carry her. She easily passed through the small streets and narrowly avoided another of the masked men cutting people down with his blade, making it to her home in less than to minutes.

"Mama! Mama!" She hears her mother running at the sound of her voice, bursting out the front door and scooping her into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Catalina! My sweet little Catalina. Thank the gods you're alright." She releases the girl from her grip and looks around. "Where...where is your father?"

"In town. The men with blank masks came and made people lay down all quiet like. Papa told me to get you while he stayed behind." Her mother gained a frightened expression as Catalina spoke before bringing the young girl inside and darting around the house to collect supplies. "Mama?"

"Catalina, go wake your sister, we must move quickly."

"Mama, will Papa be alright?" She stops in mid stride, adopting a comforting gaze for her scared daughter.

"Papa will be perfectly fine. We just need to get everything together and meet him in the woods okay?" She hated to lie to her daughter but she knew her husband was most likely dead and they would join him if they didn't hurry. "Now please go wake your sister."

Catalina takes comfort from her mother's words and runs up the stairs to her parents bedroom, visibly relaxing when her eyes fell upon her sister's sleeping from on their bed. She gently shook her sister to no avail (Rose was a heavy sleeper after all) so she scooped her sister into her arms. You might be wondering how she could to that, well Catalina has a lot more strength in her tiny form then boys twice her age. The sound of the front door being broken down and her mother's scream caused her to panic and duck into her parents closet, cradling rose close to her form. Just in time too as multiple footsteps ascended the stairs revealing to of the masked men dragging her mother into the room and forcing her to her knees as another two drag her father's bloodied and beaten yet still breathing body into her line of sight. The forth masked man then returned down the stairs to keep watch.

"You should have realized Miles-san that no one says no to Danzo-sama. If you had just gave us the training program for the Assassin's then your lovely little family wouldn't have to die in front of you. Today the Miles family line ends for good." The man grabbed her father's head and forced him to watch as the two men holding her mother pierced their blades into her heart and head respectively. A loud thud from the lower floor drew the attention of the men. A jerk of the leader's head sent the two remaining to investigate. The leader allowed Catalina's father to fall with the tears rolling down his face. "Oh and I still haven't gotten to your cute little daughters yet." A squeeze and whimper at her side let Catalina know that Rose was awake and had seen the entire exchange. Catalina drew her sister closer when she noticed the man had heard the whimper as well and started moving towards the closet. "What do we have here? Is there a rat in the closet?" The man never made it to the closet as another man in a white robe ran up behind him and pierced his back with his hidden blade. The Assassin let the masked man fall as he knelt over Catalina and Rose's father.

"Forgive me Master. Had I been but half a day quicker this would not have happened."

"Do not...blame yourself...Marco. This...was bound to happen...eventually."

"Please save your strength Master."

"I am...not...long for this world. I beseech you grant my last (cough cough) request."

"Of course Master."

"Take my daughters...to our ancestral home. Guide them in our ways. Protect them...as I could not." The life faded from his eyes. Catalina and Rose exiting the closet to gaze on their parents forms as the Assassin lays them next to each other on the bed.

"Your hopes and dreams will live on through your children. Recuiescat in Pace, Mentore." The blonde hair and silver eyed Rose was audibly crying for their parents as Catalina merely stared at the man who called their father his master. "I cannot what is going through your minds young ones but I will not disrespect a dying man's wish. I give you time to grieve. When you are ready meet me outside, I will try to round up safe transport."

**Catalina Age 10**

A ten year old girl with raven hair ducked and weaved around her opponents fists as an elder man watched on. "Good good! Now take the advantage when your opponent strikes and slip into their guard." She drops low as her opponent attempts a hay maker and shoots into a standing position, her face mere centimeters from his own."Yes! Just like that. You have come far in these last two years." They break away from each other and give a bow. "That is all for today. Thank you for your assistance Shaun."

Catalina's opponent gives the man a short wave. "It was my pleasure Master Marco. Better then being stuck in the library all day reading history books. And at least like this I can actually feel like I'm doing something since I'll never be able to work the field stuff."

The boy's accent eerily reminiscent of his ancestor by the same name. An ancestor he would come to be the spitting image of in his later teens. His personality also seemed to be the same at times. The same could be said for his closest and only friends, Rebecca and Desmond. Many of the Assassin's believed the trio to be reincarnations of the original Desmond, Rebecca and Shaun who saved the world from the solar flare of the old calendars' 2012. They certainly acted like the trio from the records.

They had also taken to Catalina and Rose almost instantly after they met, treating the two like their own sisters. The small group of five was nearly inseparable until Desmond attracted a Masters eye and began his Assassin training three years ago. Rebecca took it as a sign to begin her own studies into the computer and coding aspect of the lifestyle while Shaun drifted to the books. They gladly accepted their roles if it meant they could keep their friends breathing. Catalina began her training a year later after months of begging Marco to teach her. He was a rough task master. She often returned to the home he raised the girls in covered with sweat and sporting one or two new cuts.

The training was actually a return to the old ways of the Assassins. An action deemed necessary after the flare destroyed every satellite in earth's orbit. That wasn't all as many of the worlds skyscrapers and monuments were bent, warped or outright destroyed. There isn't a single metal construct over 100 feet tall that hasn't suffered extensive damage. Factories were shut down, any weapon more advanced than a magnum pistol just stopped working for no explainable reason. Even motorized transport took a hit they didn't recover from until 50 years after the event. Needless to say once the technology for the basic needs was finally up and running again, the world had already adapted. Combat had gone back to fists and blades, muscle and sinew. The survival of the fittest reigned for a while before the Assassin's stepped in as peacekeepers and dealt with the biggest crazies as well as giving equal opportunity to those who had been trapped in the prisons when the flare occurred. Surprisingly enough, even the most hardened criminals and death row inmates knew when to work to save lives instead of taking them.

Oddly enough when the satellites went down, so to did the internet and phone-lines. That was a blow the world never recovered from despite getting computers up and running. You can find computer systems anywhere these days but they're mainly used for security. Well okay, not everywhere. There are plenty of places that ignore technology more advanced than basic computer filing. The the small continent born in the Flare's aftermath, The Elemental Nations, being one such example. Unlike the settlements spread through the habitable and safe areas of the original continents, areas like the Elemental Nations ignore most technology outside of some civilian medical needs and relied solely on written communication and record keeping.

"Yes but those books are just as important as the missions. Books contain knowledge and history that you can't just pick up anywhere."

"What good does history do us now? At least when the Animus was around someone like me could provide relevant information for the one using it."

"Ancient history yes, but what I mean is the modern history that shapes the politics and landscapes of today. To enter into a city or country without any clue of its current factions is tantamount to suicide in our line of work."

"I see your point. Thank you Master Marco." Shaun left the training area in much higher spirits.

"You didn't ask him to join us for the sparring, did you?"

"Ah Catalina, your mind is sharp as ever. Shawn is as easy to read as the books he cares for."

"Not as sharp as your Italian tongue. I would advise against insulting my friends."

"It was not meant as an insult. The easiest people to read are also the most honest. It is an admirable quality. One that I wish many would have."

"Yet you speak as though pulling his strings to your personal tune."

"Even the best of men have a dark side to them. You should always be wary of those who seem too perfect." Catalina sighed at her Master's words. Why did she get stuck with such a cryptic moron?

**Catalina Age 15**

SLAM. SLAM. SLAM.

Catalina growled as she rolled from her bed. Today was her day off, what the fuck could be so damn important to interrupt her me time? Her anger rising at whoever was pounding on her door as she walked down the hall.

"WHAT!" She yells as she swings the door open. The frantic looking Shaun jumping at her tone.

"Cat! Thank god you're here." He gets a confused look as he sniffs the air. "What is the smell?" He looks at Catalina as if just now noticing her presence. "Why are you naked?" Realization dawned on him. "Oh God, you weren't...oh god you were. I'm sorry. I am so so sorry. I didn't know."

"Shaun." She speaks through gritted teeth. "What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want."

"I want to live through this." Her eyes narrow at him. "Right, bad joke. It's Rebecca."

Catalina's ire replaced by concern. "What! What happened? Is she okay?"

"I don't know!" Catalina glared once more. "She's doing that thing where no one understands her." And the glare disappeared once more.

"Wait here." She dashes back into the house leaving Shaun in an awkward pause as he stares at the well developed curves of her retreating form.

"She is so going to kill me for that." His further musing ends as she reappears dressed in tight gray pants, a black tank top and slip on shoes.

She rolls her eyes at his slack jawed form. "Boys." She grabs his arm and pulls him through the streets towards Rebecca's workshop. When they arrived they found the hacker, unknowingly dressed like her ancestor, pacing around the room and biting her thumb. Desmond, also dressed like his ancestor, stood of to the side with a begging look on his face when he noticed them. Even Rose, dressed in her own trainee robes, was there although she was seated comfortably in Rebecca's work chair just watching the proceedings. The workshop was fairly large with a plasma screen on one wall with a three computer setup in the corner and a large workbench with the remains of one of Rebecca's finished projects. "Okay, what's the damage."

"Apparently one of the excavation teams found something and sent a message about it to Rebecca." Desmond answered.

"Any idea what it said?"

"Not until Rebecca translates it from that tech speak she uses."

"Right." Catalina walks in front of the pacing girl, drawing her attention.

"Oh Cat, you're here. You'll never believe it. It's amazing. It's perfect. It's the ultimate epitome of awesome. It's..." SLAP. Rebecca brings her hand to her now red cheek as she looks at Catalina. "Right, rambling. Sorry, I'm just so excited."

"We could tell. You mind telling us what happened." Rebecca blushed when she noticed the other occupants of the room.

"The excavation in South Italy were searching through some old Assassin hideouts to see if they could be salvaged. They found a journal from my ancestor. And it lead them to her tomb. They found her workshop inside and if that wasn't enough." She runs to her computer and sends a picture to the big plasma screen. "They found this in perfect working condition." All Catalina saw was an odd white chair with red upholstery and a small computer at its side. A quick look to her friends showed they saw something more.

"The Animus 2.0." Desmond voiced his and Shaun's awe.

"Also known as Baby." Rebecca had a smile on her face.

"Um, what is the Animus exactly?" Rose drew everyone's attention to her.

"Come to think of it, no one ever told me what is was either." It was Catalina's turn to be stared at.

"While we could just explain it." Rebecca began.

"We'd rather see your faces when you see it for yourselves." Shaun finished.

"Let me tell you though. It is a trip." Desmond decided to add.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go home, take my clothes off and finish my bag of weed." Catalina left no room for argument as she walked away.

"I feel sorry for whoever interrupted her me time." Shaun shuddered at Rose's words. "So when is this Animus thing getting here anyway?"

"About a month, give or take a week." Rebecca happily chirped. "And I get to work on it."

"Okay. Cool. But seriously, what the fuck does it do?"

"You know those boring history lessons everyone's always falling asleep in?" Desmond asks the younger girl.

"Excuse me? I work very hard on those lessons."

"Easy Shaun. What Desmond is trying to say is the Animus lets you see history."

"Huh?"

"The Animus scans your DNA and uses your genetic memory to let you live your ancestors lives from a third person perspective. You get to see the world during those times. Actual history without all the lies you get in the books."

"Lies?"

"Oh God. Listen Rose, History is written by the victors. You won't find two factions with the same views about the conflicts between them. One nations hero is anothers war criminal. Does that make it easier?"

Rose nods at Shaun's words. "The only thing I don't get is how."

"Oh well The Animus creates a computer simulation from the genetic memory."

"Like a video game?"

"Exactly." Catalina, who had been hiding just outside the door instead of leaving, decided to ask her own question.

"Any limitations about DNA?"

"Depends on what you're looking for."

"There's something that's been bugging me ever since I came here. A man named Danzo had a hand in killing our parents. My dad knew why and I want to find out."

"Damn. That's too close for The Animus. Trying to access it could unravel your DNA or send you into a coma."

"There goes that plan then."

"For now. Why don't you ask Master Marco? Didn't he know your dad?"

Catalina mulls over her friends words as she answers. "He's refused to tell me anything other then my father was a great man. I even took it up with the Grand Master but he said it's none of my concern." She pauses. "What do you mean 'for now'?"

"Well I'm planning a few ways to upgrade the Animus to work around problems like that. Maybe access a few further back memories, making a function to turn the bleeding effect on or off, and letting people access the memories of someone elses ancestor in case they can't be reached or die."

"Sounds complicated." She wasn't even going to mention that she didn't understand most of that.

"It is. But there's no way I'm gonna settle for using someone elses tech if I know I can supe it up. By the time I'm done with it, we're gonna be using the Animus 3.0."

"If anyone can do it, it's gonna be you Becca."

"Damn straight!"

"Well as informative as this has been, I would suggest we all get back to what we were doing before this riveting announcement before someone decides to come looking for us. I'm not particularly fond of getting dragged out for a midnight mile." The mere mention of the punishment run sending the three student Assassins scurrying. Shaun chuckled to himself as Rebecca sent them a mock wave from her now reclaimed chair. "Think they'll ever figure out only the field people get that treatment?"

"Nah."

**Catalina Age 17**

"What the hell? You're letting him get away?" Desmond was really grating on her nerves right now. Why the hell did Marco and Lucy think putting them together was a good idea.

"Calm down. Even if we ran to our horses right now we couldn't catch him. This was a set-up, remember?" She gazed around the small room where their target was supposed to be. The still bodies of guards on the floor showing they had been ambushed when they entered. The only casualty being Catalina's robe which was currently a burnt pile on the floor, leaving her with a black T-shirt covering her chest and her normal pants and boots. She spies an all terrain board in the corner. Apparently whoever owned this house before their target 'confiscated' the place was a sports enthusiast. "Think we could make it down the hill before he rings around it on the road?"

"Are you out of your mind? That's almost 80 degrees straight down. We'd fall if we tried to run down that." Desmond really didn't share his ancestors adventurous attitude with personal safety. It was true though. The first thing they noticed on their way here was the city itself sat on a large steep hill with the only safe way up and down from the city was a large wide road that ran around the hill twice.

"Do you trust me?" She asks him, leaning from the window and tossing the board onto the roof.

"Occasionally. Why?"

"Give me your hidden blade and I'll take our target out." She crouched on the window ledge. Desmond stewed over his options. She'd never lied to him before and she certainly didn't boast what she couldn't do. He reluctantly tosses his bracer to her. She slips it on her left arm before climbing to the roof.

"What are you even doing?" He yelled up to her as he leaned from the window.

"Catching up." She watches the carriage with their target and his escort as he passed by on the lower ring. If she times this right she should hit one of the rear guards. She jumps from the roof with the board now fastened tightly to her feet. The initial impact with the slope nearly bouncing her off the hill. Desmond was slack jawed until he heard her cry of excitement and ran to get their horses. Whenever she did something crazy, they would always need to run afterward.

Catalina however was enjoying the wind whipping the hem of her shirt and causing her hair to blow around wildly. She crouched closer to the board and darted through the various trees and used a small mound to jump the first ring of the road, impacting smoothly on the other side and gaining speed. A tree explodes as she passes by, directing her attention to the small village at the hills base. A trio of riflemen were taking shots at her and failing miserably. She was moving too fast for them to properly aim and trees were providing too much cover for them to aim ahead of her. She could tell she would be out of their range once she hit the bottom of the slope. Hitting another dirt mound sends her over the final ring of the road. Now it was just a matter of speed. The carriage with the target breaks free from the village as she reaches the curve ending the slope. Her speed intact, Catalina turns the board to follow the road as the guards appear behind their master. _"Hmm, four on horseback, another two on the carriage." _She spots a dirt ramp to the right of the road. _"Let's do this."_ Using the ramp she launches herself in the air and uses the board to knock the rear guard off his horse completely before she lands on the steeds left side. Grabbing the reins to keep the horse moving and keep her speed up.

"Kill her! Kill the Assassin!" Catalina groaned. How many times has she heard that before? A guard fell in line at her side and attempted to stab her with his sword. She blocks the strikes with Desmond's hidden blade. A carriage guard aiming his rifle forces her to pull the guard down and take the bullet. She tosses the guards body off his horse and releases the straps from her board. She hops onto the horse just in time for another guard to come at her with a crossbow. Why he thought he needed to get in close with a ranged weapon like a crossbow, she had no idea but she made sure he wouldn't be that stupid again. The hidden blade in his throat made sure of that. She took the now dead man's crossbow and fired its bolt into the chest of the rifleman on the carriage and watching said man fall from said carriage and be trampled underfoot by her current mount. When the final horse bound guard came at her with his sword she used the crossbow as a blunt weapon and beat the crap out of him before using it to pull him off the back of his horse as well. Now let me be clear on something, getting hit with a crossbow hurts and getting hit by crossbow wielded by a girl with freakish strength like Catalina really really hurts. The poor fool didn't stand a chance. Dropping the crossbow onto the road below, Catalina urged her current mount faster as she stood crouched on the saddle. She waited until the the carriage was next to her before leaping over to it, barley catching the back end and pulling herself up. The guard driving the carriage sent a panicked look before standing to engage her. He takes a swing at her and was taken by surprised when she caught his arm and drove her hidden blade into his stomach. She crouched and opened the hatch on the top of the before ducking out of sight as the only occupant of the carriage fires a pistol where her head just was. She growled and speedily reached back in with her blade extended. She misses a killing strike but manages to drive the blade deep into his gun arm. This target was starting to be more trouble than he was worth, regardless of the fact he was taxing families into poverty just for a ghost of a chance to buy his own way into nobility.

"You think you can kill me? You think those were my only guards? Think again Assassin! You will be dead before the sun sets!" She sees some truth in his boast as two more carriages break from the treeline and attempt to box her in. The two guards from the left side jump onto her carriage and engage her. She readies herself before a crossbow bolt suddenly finds itself in her opponents chest. She deals with the other while he was distracted.

"You miss me Cat?" Desmond. Catalina watched with veiled amusement as he took over the left side carriage.

"What took you?"

"Saw something I liked so I thought I would pick it up." He raises the crossbow in his hand. The right side carriage lines up with the center carriage while they banter and transfers her target over, before pulling away and sending flaming arrows to burn her footing away. "Shit! Ahead!" Desmond's worry came in the form of the road splitting in two paths. Their target would be taking the upper natural path while Desmond would be forced to take the lower bridge path and the carriage Catalina was currently on would be lost in the ravine between the two. She jumps onto her targets carriage and sends her hidden blades into the guards spines. "Cat, catch!" Desmond throws her a small metal ball which she recognized as one of Rose's homemade grenades. She smiles and tosses it into the targets face before leaping to Desmond's carriage on the bridge below.

"Go go go!" Catalina didn't need to repeat herself. Rose had a habit of crafting super packed grenades. The sheer volume of the explosion spoke enough about the carriages fate. Catalina looked over her shoulder to see there wasn't even a carriage left.

"Holy Shit! What the fuck did she put in that thing?"

"You can ask her when we get home. I'm gonna rest inside until the next village." She opens the hatch on top of the carriage and drops into the seat below with her eyes closed.

"Hi sis." Catalina's eyes snap open to see Rose sitting in the seat across from her. Any questions she had were cut off by a muffled voice on the floor. A man in guard attire was hogtied and gagged.

"Who is this?"

"The leader of the backup your target shouldn't have had." Catalina cocks an eyebrow at this. She reaches down and pulls the gag from the mans mouth.

"Release me at once you stupid bitches!"

"Well since you're being so nice...no. Now who was stupid enough to send you and your men to your deaths?"

"As if I'll talk to you."

"Wow. Whoever sent you really is an idiot."

"What?"

"Usually when we have to interrogate someone, they deny everyone until we make them talk. You on the other already gave up that you're working for someone else. Seriously, whoever is paying you is so stupid a strong wind could knock them down."

"How dare you! Master Danzo will have you killed before you get five miles from the mountain."

"One, that thing is nowhere near big enough to be a mountain. Two, you really suck at this." Catalina knocks the man out and replace the gag. "Looks like we might be getting involved in this Danzo business after all." She leans back in her seat. She'll need to speak with the Grand Master when they return. _"The old man better not try to hide things from me." _Rose casts her sister a worried glance. "Don't worry yourself Rose, I will not act without their approval."

"Sister, you aren't exactly the best at listening to the Masters when you're interested in something and I know Danzo interests you. So please don't lie to me so blatantly because when they do eventually say no and you go anyway I'm the one keeping them distracted while you get away." The sisters share a Cheshire grin.

**(Prologue end music/ Cage The Elephant: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked)**

**HA HA HA HA HA! Oh yeah baby! I finally got it started. As I said earlier this is just some back story before the official start of the story. So how do you guys like Catalina so far? Should I bring up more of Rose's quirks? Did I make the reincarnation a flaming pile of suck? Reviews speak loudest of all.**


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